Undergarment



A- SPITZER UNDERGARMENT July 30, 1963 Filed Sept. 14, l96l INVENTOR. ANNE SP/TZEI? FIG.3

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,099,266 UNDERGARMENT Anne Spitzer, Bayside, N.Y., assignor to Lily of France, Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 138,124 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-541) This invention relates to an under-garment, and more particularly to a girdle adapted to encircle the torso of a wearer, and which will act to control and contour the upper thigh region of the wearer.

The human body has a tendency to vary in firmness and contour, particularly in the upper thigh region. The average woman, however, is inclined to be particularly fleshy at this point, and has repeatedly indicated a desire for a garment specially adapted to control and contour such area, in addition to possessing the traditional characteristics and functions expected of a foundation garment.

It is a well established practice in the art to proportion garments, within a single size classification according to the length of the torso so that the bottom edge of the garment terminates in the upper thigh region. Because of the confining nature of the garment, especially along its bottom edge, and lodged as it is upon the fleshy thigh region, such edge has a tendency to cut into the flesh, and create unsightly rolls or bulges by displacing the flesh. The wearer thus seeking the desired thigh control readily resorts to a longer garment in an attempt to extend the bottom edge over such area in order to reduce the bulges and rolls of fleshy tissue at this particular point. It will be readily evident that such resort to a longer garment, especially by a person having a relatively short torso, will result in a garment of disproportionate fit with respect to her requirements.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a girdle adapted to render support and to contour the upper thigh region of a wearer with-out in any way alfecting the conventional proportions of a foundation garment.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a garment, utilizing conventional proportions in the construction thereof, which will adequately support and contour the upper thigh region of a wearer without the necessity of adding additional length to the garment.

In the conventional garment, the lower perimeter thereof, especially at the front, is notably taut. Such taut edge, lodged over the fleshy portion of the thighs of an average wearer, would necessarily impede freedom of movement. This limitation upon a wearers freedom is additionally increased at the front when the wearer assumes a seated position. The taut-drawn lower edge in addition to creating rolls, bulges, or protuberances of the flesh, may also cause digging and cutting of the fleshy tissue, especially when a stress, pull or weight of any kind is applied through hose supporters or the like, to the bottom edge of the garment.

It is therefore another object of this invent-ion to provide an undergarment in which the tautness, especially along the lower front edge of the garment, is modified so as to eliminate digging, cutting or other stress upon the fleshy tissue of the upper thigh region of a wearer.

A further object herein is the provision of contour means in an undcrgarment which will achieve a sheathlike smoothness especially in the upper thigh region of a wearer.

A still further object of this invention is to provide, in an undergarment, means for molding the fleshy tissues of the upper thigh region so as to eliminate bulges, rolls, or protuberances of the flesh and which will result in a smooth silhouette and at the same time offer greatest figure control and support.

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In accomplishing the foregoing objects, there is provided, in a foundation garment, a plurality of panels in particular arrangement and relationship at the sides thereof which will yield a sheath-lil e contour to the wearer. Such side panels are specially fabricated of an elastic fabric, and particularly shaped so that the lines of stress at the lower front perimeter of the garment are modified to yield a greater degree of freedom of movement of the wearer as well as to avoid unsightly bulges of fleshy tissue therea-t.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation-a l view of the girdle according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the same garment; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the side of the garment according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the invention is illustrated in a foundation garment 10 and comprises a central rear panel 11 having a substantially vertical stretch characteristic. Extending from both sides of said rear panel 11, on the left and right thereof, there is provided substantially elongated panels 12, 13 respectively, having a substantially two-way stretch characteristic, and secured to said rear panel 11 by stitching 14, 15 respectively. Right and left front panels 16, 17 respectively joined by a seam 18 at the front of the garment are secured to elongated panels 19, 20, having a substantially two way stretch characteristic, by stitching 21, 22 respectively on either side thereof.

Referring now to the novel side construction of the garment 11}, the right side of which is illustrated in FIG. 3, panels 13 and 19 are secured by stitching 23 at the hip line region thereof. Inserted between panels 13 and 19 along the remainder of its unsecured edges there is provided a substantially falchion-like shaped panel 24. Such panel 24 having a tapered point at the upper end thereof extends downwardly from the lower terminus of stitching 23, and is provided with a concave edge secured by stitching 25 to panel 19 and a convex edge secured by stitching 26 to panel 13. The bottom-most part of panel 24 is considerably broadened, the edge 27 thereof extending below the bottom edge of the garment 10. Edge 27, although extending downwardly below the bottom edge of the garment is arcuately shaped so that irregularity at the bottom edge of the garment is avoided.

The left side of the garment 10 is constructed similarly to the right side thereof and comprises a line of stitching 28 joining panels 12 to 21) at the hip-line region thereof. inserted between panels 12 and '20 below stitching 28 a falchion-like shaped panel 29 is secured by stitching 30 along its concave edge to panel 20, and secured by stitching 31 to panel 12 along its convex edge. Panel 29 is additionally provided with a bottom edge 32, specifically arc-uately shaped and extending below the bottom edge of the perimeter of the garment 10. Hose supporters 33, 34 are appended along edges 27 and 32 respectively.

Panels 24 and 29 are specially cut on a bias so that an oblique stretch characteristic is imparted thereto. In effect by disposing the warp of said panels 24 and 29 on a bias to the vertical axis of the body of a wearer, the stretch characteristic thereof is so modified that it extends downwardly over the thigh region of the wearer without requiring any additional length to be added to the garment in order to provide support to such thigh region. It should additionally be evident that the pull exerted by hose supporters 33. 34 upon panels 24 and 29,

3 respectively, will effectively be dissipated by stitching 23 and 28, thus allowing no pull at the waistline.

Although the present invention has :been described with respect to a specific embodiment, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made herein, and as so changed, such modified structure would still fall within the ambit of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A girdle comprising front and rear portions each of said portions having a pair of longitudinal edges on each side thereof and a falchion-like shaped panel having a longitudinal concave and convex edge interposed between said front and rear portions at the sides and below the hip line area of said girdle; a line of stitching securing said front and rear portions in the hip-line area of said girdle; said front portion along the outer longitudinal edges thereof being secured by stitching to said falchion-like shaped panels along the concave edges thereof; said rear portion along the outer longitudinal edges thereof being secured by stitching to said falchion-like shaped panels along the convex edges thereof.

2. A girdle according to claim 1 wherein said front and rear portion of said girdle are secured to said talchionlike shaped panels at the sides thereof below the hip line area of said girdle to the *bottom edges thereof.

3. A girdle according to claim 1 wherein the warp of said falchi'on-like shaped panels are obliquely disposed toward the front portion of said girdle.

4. A girdle according to claim 1 wherein said falchionlike shaped panels have an oblique stretch characteristic.

5. A girdle according to claim 1 wherein ho-se supporters are secured to the bottom edges of said falchionlike shaped panels.

6. A girdle according to claim 1 wherein the bctotm edges of each of said falchion-like shaped panels is of a substantially arouate shape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,493,722 Leonard et al J an. 3, 1950 2,675,548 Leonard Apr. 20, 1954 2,870,769 Scheinberg Jan. 27, 1959 3,035,586 Bell May 22, 1962 

1. A GIRDLE COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS EACH OF SAID PORTIONS HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL EDGES ON EACH SIDE THEREOF AND A FALCHION-LIKE SHAPED PANEL HAVING A LONGITUDINAL CONCAVE AND CONVEX EDGE INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS AT THE SIDES AND BELOW THE HIP LINE AREA OF SAID GIRDLE; A LINE OF STITCHING SECURING SAID FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS IN THE HIP-LINE AREA OF SAID GIRDLE; SAID FRONT PORTION ALONG THE OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES THEREOF BEING SECURED BY STITCHING TO SAID FALCHION-LIKE SHAPED PANELS ALONG THE CONCAVE EDGES THEREOF; SAID REAR PORTION ALONG THE OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES THEREOF BEING SE- 